Midnight Run
by Purim
Summary: One-shot, InoShika. On their way back from a mission, Ino cant help herself and stumbles into a slight mess...


DISCLAIMER: No. I do not own Shikamaru, Ino, or any other of the Naruto characters.  
  
"Bla" speech 'Bla' thoughts /Bla/ emphasized  
  
~'~'~  
  
Loneliness.  
  
I never really understood the meaning of that word. Never really.  
  
"How the hell did I get myself into this mess?" I wondered out loud.  
  
'Hmph, like you don't know.' I thought in reply. I knew exactly how this had happened.  
  
We had been sent on a mission by Asuma-sensei, the very first without him supervising. I had been thrilled, finally a chance to shine with independence! Sure, the mission was a three-day hike to the neighbouring village and back, something about delivering a necklace to some old lady, but still! It's our mission! I wanted to prove that we could handle it on our own.  
  
We had left Konoha the very next day. Me, Shikamaru and Chouji. Childhood friends made team-mates. I'm really glad to have them on my team. 'Course, I never told them that.  
  
And now... now they'll probably never speak to me again.  
  
We had finished the mission, and were on our way home. It was our last night camping out, we would reach the village around noon the next day. We had already eaten, and night had come, but not enough for us to go to sleep yet. So we just...sat.  
  
Chouji, of course, was eating. Shikamaru laid back and watched the stars. I was bored out of my mind.  
  
I hated nights like this. Evenings+silence+campfire+Ino...bad combo. Real bad combo. It always got me thinking of the things I didn't /want/ to think about. Boys, to be precise.  
  
Everybody knew I loved Sasuke-kun. Well, they /thought/ they knew. I used to love him, but I gave up on him a long time ago. People just kept on believing I love him. And I never bothered to correct that belief.  
  
No. My heart belongs to someone else. Someone who knows me better than anyone. But I'd never tell him. I thought I knew him pretty well. That he thought women were too "troublesome" to be bothered with.  
  
Boy, was I ever wrong...  
  
Chouji was asleep. He had crawled into his sleeping bag as soon as he ran out of "snacks". Shikamaru was still stargazing, hands behind his head. My gaze fell back to the spot past my feet, resuming my thinking.  
  
I must've been in pretty deep thought, I didn't realize that he'd even mover until I heard his voice from right next to me.  
  
"Hey Ino, you okay?"  
  
I was so startled, I jumped.  
  
"Geez, Shikamaru!" I exclaimed, holding a hand over my racing heart.  
  
"Sorry Ino-chan. Didn't mean to scare you."  
  
I visibly flinched. 'Since when does he call me Ino-/chan/?'  
  
I don't think he meant to say that. Not by the way he managed to both pale and blush at the same time.  
  
"I-I mean... I just wanted to know if anything was wrong, that's all"  
  
Shikamaru stuttering? I looked up to the sky half-expecting a pig to fly by.  
  
"It's okay Shikamaru. I'm fine. Just thinking a little, nothing serious..."  
  
"You? Thinking?" He teased. "Ino, that IS serious."  
  
"And what, exactly, is your point?"  
  
"Oh, nothing, really. So... What were you thinking about?"  
  
Now it was my turn to blush. I had been thinking about him, more like dreaming. No. No way was I telling.  
  
He saw me blush, and a smirk crept upon his face. I knew he was up to something. I'd rather not find out what.  
  
Getting up I walked over to my pack and got my sleeping bag. Standing up and turning around, I almost smacked into him. Almost.  
  
'He's not really that much taller than me, maybe just an inch or two.' I realized, looking up at him. He seemed uncomfortable, eyes darting everywhere, mouth opening and closing as he tried to say something.  
  
I just stared at him. For the first time in my life, I saw Shikamaru at a loss for words.  
  
Yep. Hell had definitely frozen over, and Satan was scating around doin' twirlies in a tutu.  
  
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. I couldn't help but notice how beautiful he looked in the moonlight. It made me really want to kiss him. Surprisingly enough, that's exactly what I did.  
  
The kiss was chaste, and didn't last long. When I finally let go, he just stared at me, eyes wide.  
  
Whatever shred of courage I had left disappeared quicker than a bowl of Ramen in the presence of Naruto. So I did what every girl in their right mind would do.  
  
I turned on my heal and ran.  
  
I don't know for how long I ran, nor did I care where I was heading. Big mistake.  
  
I tripped, rolled down the slope, and came to a halt ten feet from it. Bumped and bruised all over. Great. I tried to stand, realizing I'd sprained my ankle. Just great.  
  
I looked around, mainly to see if Shikamaru had bothered to follow me. He was nowhere in sight.  
  
Leaning myself against a tree, I heave a big sigh. Bringing me to where I am now.  
  
I don't know how long I have been sitting here. All I know is that every minute that passes by confirms my belief that he thinks me too troublesome to bother with.  
  
"How troublesome..." I whisper into the semi-darkness. It's a warm summers- night, and the light appearing over the horizon confirms that I have been sitting still all night 'til dawn. Still no sign of my team-mates.  
  
"How troublesome..." I repeat.  
  
"Hey, I thought that was my line."  
  
Startled, I look up to see Shikamaru jumping down from the dense branches of the tree in front of me. 'Has he been hiding from me?'  
  
"Are you alright?" He asks, noticing my bruises.  
  
"I'm fine." I mumble, looking away. "I stumbled and fell down the slope, that's all. Sprained my ankle, though."  
  
The next thing I know, Shikamaru is sitting with my bare foot in his lap, examining it carefully. His every touch sending shivers through my body.  
  
"Ne, Ino..."  
  
"Nani?"  
  
"Why did you do it?"  
  
I started blushing. Of course he'd ask!  
  
"I-I just... I just wanted to, okay?!"  
  
He just chuckled. No answer, just chuckling, his eyes never leaving my foot.  
  
"Before I, well, kissed you, you were trying to tell me something. What?"  
  
His turn to blush.  
  
"...Ino, do you like me?"  
  
'Baka.' I thought, resisting the urge to roll my eyes.  
  
"Why do you want to know?"  
  
"Because I like you to." He stated simply, putting my foot down and moving closer.  
  
"Someone seems to have found some confidence." I teased.  
  
"Well, at least now I'm certain you won't run from me..."  
  
His lips brushed mine, and we met in a sweet kiss. As he licked my bottom lip, I gladly granted him entrance. Testing this new experience, our tongues wrestled and battled for dominance. After several minutes of heavenly bliss, we pull apart, neither the victor, both out of breath.  
  
He scoops me up into his arms, and begins to carry me back to camp.  
  
Fatigued from the nights events, I soon fall asleep, cuddling into his warm embrace.  
  
~OWARI~  
  
~,~,~  
  
Yay, my first Naruto fic ever! I've got a good idea for a sequel, this time from Shikamarus POV, but I want to hear your opinions on this one first...  
  
Ja ne!  
  
Review!!!!!!! l l l V 


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